“Okay, last check. Just open the tap completely, then I’ll close it in fifteen minutes” I say to Broes, “when that cloth stays dry, it’s done.” That tap has to be opened because the drain is leaking. Not a big deal, maybe a drop every five minutes, but enough to bother you. Prior to the […]
A flooding with odds and sods in the pipe Read More »
P: Bonjour Ellen, I wanted to ask you something: do you mind if I park my beautiful Dacia somewhere on your estate for 3 weeks from Saturday morning? I go to take a portuguese course at the university in Coimbra but parking space is scarce there, so I prefer to park the car safely in
Crash course portuguese at the University of Coimbra Read More »
“Then come around 11” I app, “’cause you do need a fair amount of time, and if the sun goes down at about 5, it’s no longer nice.”“Oooo soooo nice sitting in the sun making mosaics! What a life we have!” Paula would come and make a mosaic. In the sun, ’cause it’s a sunny
Making sunny mosaics Read More »
Today is the day of the elections for the “Assembleia da República” – the Portuguese parliament. As a foreigner you are not allowed to participate As a foreigner/resident you can vote in municipal elections, which is much more comprehensive than just the municipal council. That layer of government is much thicker here, because it is
Foreigners are not allowed to choose in Portugal Read More »
Be honest: any idea what this is? No? Years ago I didn’t know either, but when I came to one of our regular building materials dealers, he told me – not at all commercially responsible – that instead of a new faucet, I could also do new castles. That’s what those things are called in
I sent some castles via the CTT to my brother in the Netherlands … Read More »
Images say more then words. In this case more then true. You can’t catch mosaic in words. Another one ready. Made with a few friends who regularly come back. Unfortunately, we forgot completely to make pictures. Talking about images … clever! But we’ll provide you with an impression, don’t worry! It all began with a
A beauty of a mosaic jungle Read More »
“Did you know that I was almost arrested for harassment?” Paul asks with a mischievous look in his eyes. “Oh,” I almost recoile but laughing, “do I have to worry now, lock my door at night?” He dismisses my remark, clearly looking forward to the story: “It was when I lived in Nijmegen (Holland), and
Jogging volunteers and other pleasant things Read More »
“Forensic” is a bit of a mysterious word for me. It is probably because it’s full of forensic teams as soon as a crime has to be solved … in the thrillers that I like to read from time to time. Forensic studies is a broad concept. Luckily. The mystery doesn’t reveal itself quickly. Why
Forensic students in the house! Read More »
The engineer beckons us to come in. That’s not too bad, it goes smoother than we thought. “We” in this case is my neighbour Josué and I. (Josué is not really my neighbour, but the farmer who works the adjacent fields. When they’re done working, they often stop by for a cold beer, because working
The Mother of the water and a misunderstanding Read More »
